U-T Multimedia: For video of players participating in the Chargers’ offseason workouts, go to uniontrib.com/offseason

For the Chargers, it was a mix between another day at the office and a starting over, this year perhaps moreso than others.

“It feels different just because a lot of the faces that have been here, for years, they’re gone — Jamal (Williams) and LT. (Antonio) Cromartie, also,” linebacker Stephen Cooper said. “But it’s part of the job, and as a team, we’re pushing forward. We took a step forward today. Guys are showing up, getting ahead, trying to make themselves better.

“It’s all about looking forward. We know what happened last year. We didn’t show up to work when we were supposed to. It was tough to swallow, but we took a little time during the offseason and now we’re looking forward to the season and pushing forward.”

More than 50 players were at Chargers Park yesterday for the first day the entire squad was asked to report for voluntary organized conditioning sessions.

“It was definitely good to get back with the guys,” said safety Eric Weddle, who has been among a couple dozen other players around the team’s complex for several weeks.

As expected, the four restricted free agents who have yet to sign their first-and-third tenders did not attend yesterday. Malcom Floyd, Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill and Shawne Merriman are sitting out indefinitely, displeased with the one-year, nonguaranteed contracts tendered to them as restricted free agents. It is possible that their holdouts, which the team expected and is so far understanding of, could last into training camp. At that point, it could get interesting, considering Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith has a history of not tolerating similar stances.

“It just shows everyone you’re committed to the team first,” Jammer said.

The workouts will continue for most of the next five weeks, with players at Chargers Park at least two hours a day, four days a week.

The Chargers will begin their offseason coaching sessions (also voluntary) on May 18 and hold minicamp May 26-28. The coaching sessions will continue into mid-June before the players take a month off. Rookies report for training camp on July 25, veterans four days later.

“April, May and June is to get them ready to go to camp to compete for jobs,” head coach Norv Turner said as he watched about a dozen players work in the 10 a.m. session.

Turner addressed players in a brief team meeting between the two morning sessions, telling them the difference going through the offseason workouts can make.

“Particularly the younger guys,” Turner said, “they do such a better job being together. They push each other.”

Turner anticipates a number of battles for jobs — both in the starting lineup and on the roster — due largely to the number of players the team used last season (62) because of injuries.

Turner watched almost every minute of the on-field workouts, players in shorts doing agility drills and sprints.

“This is demanding,” Turner said. “You learn a lot about guys — how they finish a drill, how they work in the final 15 minutes versus the first 15 minutes.”